Follow up to that Anti US-MIC List

When I came home tonight I was, I felt, tired. The strange thing is, the more tired I feel, the more I “feel” what goes on around me, and that is by most standards, a pretty wide area. Also not so unusual, I began focusing more directly on my personal chosen life purposes and goals. Which quite naturally led me to once again, to think about the concepts of compassion, and empathy.

That brought me to mentally review the recent post comparing US military incursions in other countries, versus the same of Iran and North Korea. I chose those two because, according to the MIC (military industrial complex) these two nations are the bane of the planet. Statistics, though not always totally reliable, prove otherwise; that the nation most likely to drag the world into nuclear conflict, and most likely to cause maximum harm to essentially unarmed nations and their millions of helpless civilians is none other than the US of A. Not that this hasn’t been known by most people in this world for many endless decades.

Now to write about the purpose for posting this comparison list. I’m not going to claim that I would never post such statistics out of hate of the US MIC. If there was a stronger word than hate, I would certainly use it. But that wasn’t the reason I posted that list. I posted it to remind myself that people, as a general rule, are not empathetic. That they will always put their favourite “system” – however evil, however corrupt – ahead of any concern for how that evil and corruption destroys people’s livelihood and lives.

I got my answer, though not many responded. As I experienced when I did “church” those people within the ranks who perhaps one-on-one would question some aspects of their institution, immediately closed ranks when that institution was openly and statistically challenged for being utterly hypocritical; when it’s leaders were called on the carpet for their lifestyles diametrically opposite to their teachings.

Patriotism is, of course, a form of religion. It is a belief system that does not require proof, just faith. The people who responded to the list predictably demonstrated this faith. There were no actual proof given to contradict the list, but a defensive stance was taken simply by saying, well, the US were NOT THE ONLY BAD GUYS, or NOT THE WORST OF THE BAD GUYS.

The argument was changed, as it always is when one’s faith is challenged and there is no real come back. Always the same: if you’re going to make my “god” look bad, I’m going to say that their “god” is as bad, or worse, thereby hoping for some sort of balance and my acquiescence.

What I was looking for, and found, was that all those lives lost, all those millions (!) of victims of the US MIC since World War II, didn’t matter in the least. They weren’t felt at all in the responses. Systems matter, individuals don’t. No empathy. The chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals was quoted as saying, “I was shocked to realize that these men are devoid of any empathy.”

Sadly, that is basically the case for Earthians. Overall but for exceptions, they really have no empathy. Sure they can talk miles about it, and they love to point to certain “do gooders” along the way who demonstrate both, empathy and compassion. But that’s really good enough. Heaven forbid that all of them should decide to become compassionate, and allow themselves to develop empathy as a way of life. Hell’s bells, that would simply bring the whole crappy, murderous, corrupt, greedy, insane predatory capitalistic system to its knees and then what good would any sort of faith and patriotism be? Can’t have that.

So now I know: defending the establishment is de rigueur. When it comes to choice between separating oneself from a criminal system and siding with its victims, or finding some way, any way, to justify that system’s crimes, the Earthian will support the establishment and justify the deaths of millions in the process.

Earthians, even the best meaning ones; even the ones who believe themselves to be “good” people (as opposed to evil doers) have no empathy. They have never defined the term for themselves so as to live with its actual meaning.

Seven and a half billions of Earthians now crowd a small planet of finite resources and space with no options left but to learn to coexist in peace and harmony through compassion and empathy.

Compassion empowers sharing and empathy ensures that “I” will never, not ever, cause “YOU” any kind of avoidable harm. In fact it will ensure that rather than cause “YOU” harm, I will choose to give up my own life as the proper and correct response in such a situation.

Too drastic? Too utopian? Let me tell you this, and I got it from non-Earthian sources: you (and I) are way past the critical point when we were expected to develop full compassion and empathy. Nothing is ever too late, but before that can be implemented now, there must be great suffering in our immediate future. That “great suffering” was completely avoidable, but for faith in obsolete systems. I gave up that faith years ago and thus I know it is quite possible to live without it. Ask me to take sides; as me to join any sort of collective, see what happens.

18 thoughts on “Follow up to that Anti US-MIC List”

Sha’Tara, when one has been weaned from birth to believe that one’s country is the greatest, the fairest, and the wisest on Earth, it’s very difficult to see beyond the myths and lies. Moreover, in the pursuit of one’s happiness and success, the winner takes all. Compassion and empathy are not signs of strength of character. They are weaknesses to be exploited for one’s gain.

For most people? Yes. For many others, it’s even worse: they see enemies they want to kill or subdue and enslave – or buy and enslave. It’s out of those Earthians prefer to choose their leadership. Where does that leave man’s civilization? “His” planet?

I think I could make a case for claiming that the US-MIC took many of those actions out of the mistaken belief that their empathy required them to relieve the suffering caused by the tyrrany they were attempting to overthrow.

Thanks for your comment, Frank. But really? By deliberately setting out to murder millions of helpless people? By subsequently stealing their resources, and forcing millions of others to become refugees in lands they know nothing about, that do not want them? Sure, make a case. Convince me with your argument, this is an open mind blog. Just keep in mind that I will respond, especially in those cases where I have been actively involved as a religious, political and individual activist. Personal awareness and experience is the final arbiter for whatever truth may lie out there. Question: do you believe there is ever a legitimate argument for killing someone in their own land who is not opposing you, someone who probably doesn’t even know you exist? ~sigh!~

Hello, and welcome. I translated your comment, and I like it very much. I may no longer participate in any church, or call myself a “Christian” but I certainly learned many of my best ideas from the New Testament gospels. Thank you again. (I hope the translation is accurate!)
Translated: Helló és üdvözlet. Lefordítottam a megjegyzésedet, és nagyon tetszik nekem. Már nem vehetek részt semmilyen egyházban, vagy ‘kereszténynek’ nevezném magam, de bizonyosan megtanultam a legjobb ötleteim közül az Újszövetség evangéliumai közül. Még egyszer köszönöm.

I read your posts from the perspective of a descendant of a “conquered” people (Ojibwe) who were subjected to centuries of brutality and indoctrination in what is now the USA.

From my perspective, the U.S. has always been an aggressive invader, like the European nations from which the “conquerors” came. The diseases the “conquerors” spread were physical, systematic, and ideological. The costs in lives and cultures and ecosystems lost can’t be accurately counted or excused. And speaking of excuses, it never works to say, “Well, others are doing it, so we must do it too. It’s the only option, therefore it must be okay.”

I still feel a sadness too deep to name about what has been and is being lost. Yet I can still look at the past with detachment and honesty and ask what I can do in my humble life to resist in constructive ways without resorting to blaming and anger.

Thank you for your heart-felt comment, Carol. I have “seen” this, and I feel it today myself. That is why I propose that we focus on becoming self-empowered and compassionate in all our dealings. I know that eventually we will be the ones who will overcome, because what we have is the greater force. It is human and humane. Predatory capitalism and all of the evil that entails is a dying system because it deals only in death.

Sadly, as long as there are nations this will continue.
If you leave out Aboriginal peoples who were more concerned about living in a difficult environment you’ll see a very sad and sorry trail.
Of course the industrialisation makes oppression and intervention more efficient.

Yes, I agree with your statements here. So, what if we, as individuals, practised a self-empowered kind of “satyagraha” of non-violent non cooperation towards as many aspects of the “System” as we know how, or can? There are very effective ways to do this, and based on the fact that we are roughly 99% versus 1%, I think our non cooperation, could be very quickly felt. For example, no more voting, and no more commenting on this or that “leader” but just ignoring them as it they meant nothing? Some sources say that Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon is the richest billionaire in the world. We all know that his wealth was accumulated on the backs of basically low paid “slave” labour. So, how about a collective boycott of Amazon? I’ve been doing that for years and I’m doing just fine without contributing (at least directly) to that financial mogul of worker oppression and blatant consumerism. I also choose to basically boycott Walmart and other box store giants. We can, without arms, without even a word, cause them to implode.

I can see the power of commercial blockading on a large scale, but have a suspicion that if no one voted the powers that be would claim some had. Or the problem with not voting is that the extremes will vote and if the rest don’t turn up the extremes will have control; there is always someone at the bottom of the pile looking to burrow upwards (In the early 20th century there was this scruffy little Austrian down on his luck in Vienna, and about the same this there was this cussed young Georgian who didn’t want to follow his mother’s wish and become an Orthodox priest)

No, no, no, no Roger: you don’t want commercial (national or imperial) boycott, blockade or sanctions. Power only creates counter power. That is the historical game and it gets no one nowhere, as we should all be aware of by now. What I propose is not new at all, but instead of limiting it to “special” types of gurus, teachers, visionaries, charismatics or spirituals, I’m am setting it loose and free for all individuals, from the new born to the octogenarian.

It is easy to say, that’s ridiculous, it will never happen. But why? Because it never has? But that’s my point exactly: it’s never been used therefore it cannot be so judged! When everybody on this benighted world has accepted that only compassionate interaction can save this world, and then is it proven that it does not work, only then can it be judged a failure. Until then, it is a way, and from my perspective, the only way left for “man” to walk unto. I don’t see mankind as becoming a splat on the fossil record, that’s not in my visions of the future, as bleak as it is for many hundreds of years. I see mankind finally falling unto its knees as individuals becoming humble enough to realize it needs something bigger than itself, but not one of the old gods, with which to enter into a viable future.

After several hundreds of years of much tribulation, much death and disease, and so little left on the surface of earth from which to eke survival, finally that obdurate and quasi-brain dead creature comes to some kind of sense and dares say, in whatever lingo it still remembers… mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa… and agrees that yes, “your” life IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MINE. From there, a new species is born to create an entirely new future.

As I said before, the vision is that nothing, absolutely nothing, of the old world and the old ways, is carried forth. No part of this civilization, not the arts, the writings, the races or nations, types of governments or rulership, or any sort of accomplishments we still rely on, or think highly of today will be remembered except as a curse. All that will be but chaff in the winds of change. We will turn our backs on our past(s) and create for ourselves an entirely new future based solely on compassionate interaction. We will thus posses two new things: true empathy and self empowerment. Taking this vision further: there will no longer be any predation or killing of any kind in our new world. Then, and only then, will we be truly human beings when we call ourselves that for we will then know innately that a human does not kill, does not take a life for any reason. Evil will be the only “thing” that is going to die that final death on earth.

That new game, it begins right now. With me. Do I care if no one else plays with me? No, that is not the point. But nothing stops me from talking about the game or teaching its very simple rules and discussing the consequences of playing it as if it was the only game in town.

So, I talk about compassion being the only legitimate game left for man to play. It need not be. I am always open to hearing about another game that could be even easier to implement with better chances of global acceptance. The rule of engagement is simple: it cannot be in any way an old game, or a new one made up of old rules and concepts which history and our own experience tell us has been tried and has failed to bring about and “lock in” the kind of society it proposed.

That’s a clear and concise summary Sha’ Tara, I can see where you are working from.
I suppose we must work from differing sides, although it is troubling to think if I got my way I would be getting in your way. There again mine may be a transition which is swept away by yours.
I’m comfortable with that.

Yeah, yours would be a sort of “way shower” where the leaders could perhaps point to “mine – well not really mine, but the entire public’s-way. Like, “OK people, we’re not going to continue making all those decisions for you and leading you by the nose. Let’s see if you can do it by yourselves. Let’s see you practice compassionate anarchy! Please put us out of work, thanks.”